Willing and Abel
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saginaw Valley State | 27 | 40 | 67 |
|
Michigan Tech | 31 | 44 | 75 |
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Nate Abel came off the bench and scored a team-high 15 points as Michigan Tech seized its third straight victory Saturday afternoon over Saginaw Valley State 75-67 at SDC Gymnasium. The win helped the Huskies get within a half-game of the final GLIAC Tournament playoff position in the conference standings.
Pete Calcaterra was efficient with 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting and Adam Hobson provided 13 points and six assists. The Huskies shot 48.1 percent from the field, including 38.2 percent (13-34) from beyond the arc as the teams split the season series 1-1.
"It turned into a real fight towards the end and our guys competed for a full 40 minutes," said head coach Josh Buettner. "It was great playing in front of a full house and there was a lot of energy in the building. We made some mistakes but different guys stepped up at the right moments and made plays, which was awesome."
The Huskies took a 31-27 lead into halftime. Marcus Tomashek sparked the offense with a 3-pointer to open the game. Then Tech opened an 11-4 gap and Hobson collected 10 points before the teams headed to the locker room.
The Huskies pushed the margin to 10 points seven minutes into the second half before SVSU closed back to a four at the 7:22 mark, 55-51. Chansey Willis Jr. made it a one-point game at the free throw line with 3:44 to go. Then Pete Calcaterra wrestled an offensive rebound and Abel made a significant three in the corner to give the Huskies a 66-62 lead.
Abel nabbed a steal on the subsequent SVSU possession and shoved it up to Calcaterra for a one-handed slam unchallenged in the fast break. Abel and Tomashek connected a series of free throws in the final minutes to seal the win.
"It was a gritty one," Abel said. "I thought we responded well when they went on their runs. The fans were loud and I thought we kept our composure to wind up with the win and that's what matters."
Michigan Tech pulled in 36 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. MTU also marked 19 assists, compared to 15 turnovers. The Huskies scored 20 points in the paint and 29 points off the bench.
Tre Garrett led the Cardinals with 20 points (6-11) and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Both teams ran against foul trouble in the second half with SVSU starter Freddie McIntosh and MTU starter Dan Gherezgher both fouling out.
Saginaw Valley shot 40.7 percent overall, including 25 percent (4-16) from long range.
Michigan Tech (7-15, 4-9 GLIAC) heads to Grand Valley State (13-9, 7-5) on Thursday, February 9 for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The Huskies have five regular season games remaining. Saginaw Valley State (11-11, 6-6) continues a four-game road trip at Lake Superior State.
